‎EXCLUSIVE: War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has been set to star in Stonewall, the next film that Roland Emmerich will direct. Scripted by Jon Robin Baitz, the film is about the June 28, 1969 police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, a mafia-owned bar that was a gathering place for gays and transgenders. It became the flashpoint for the gay rights movement, a galvanizing event that is considered a touchstone even today in the fight for equal rights for the gay and transgender population. Emmerich’s way in is to focus on a young man’s political awakening in the backdrop of those riots.

The film is being produced by Michael Fossat, Marc Frydman and Emmerich, with Kirstin Winkler and Adam Press exec producing. Carsten Lorenz is line producer and Markus Förderer the cinematographer.‎ After his breakout turn in the Steven Spielberg-directed War Horse, Irvine has been busy. He’ll next be seen in the Colin Firth-Nicole Kidman-starrer Railway Man, which opens Friday. Irvine is currently in production on Fallen, and recently wrapped The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death, as well as The World Made Straight, and The Reach, the latter opposite Michael Douglas. Irvine is repped by CAA, Hatton McEwan Penford and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams.

Emmerich will start production on his passion project Stonewall while he continues prepping the next installment of Independence Day for Fox, which has a July 1, 2016 release date.